Event: My First Craft Fair!

I found my first craft fair to be a success.  The high school that I send my junior high students off to has an annual craft fair to raise funds for a safe and sober grad night.  The event was called, "A Fair of the Heart" at Irvington High School in Fremont, California.  

I found out about the fair the week that the application was due!  I quickly sent out a text to my girlfriends to see if anyone was available to keep me company during the fair.  Luckily, I was able to find three friends to come cover different "shifts."  One friend was able to meet me at 7:30 AM and another two around 12:30 PM.  

I was able to unload my car on my own.  But I needed lots of help to set up the canopy.  I borrowed the canopy from my brother's friend.  It turned out to be Raiders canopy.  Although, I am a Raiders fan, I went to the thrift store to find a king sized sheet to cover the top.  I used clothespins to secure the sheet to the regular canopy cover.  

I received many compliments on my displays and products.  I wanted to have a welcoming appearance to invite people into my little shop. I tried to establish a layout that encouraged browsing and conversation.  My Card Making Kits were supposed to be my hot ticket item, so I placed them in the back closer to me.  Midday,  I moved a basket of the kits towards the front of my booth in my attempt to attract more customers.  

I used a very neutral color palette with pops of orange, which is my favorite color.  A majority of my display props and linens were thrifted or items that I found around the house.  Since it was my first show, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the displays.  

I already have my ideas for improvement in future shows.  If I am outdoors again, I may rethink my large boards on the easels.  The wind was not too friendly to them.  I also think that the board in the front of my booth was not as effective as I hoped for.  I initially wanted that board to display some of my best pieces, but found that it made it less inviting since it was so large.  

All of my inventory fit into one large plastic storage bin.  I had a total of five other bins just for storing my display props and linens.  I need to work on finding more efficient ways to display more product.  That seemed excessive! 

Overall, I had a great time at my first craft fair!  I barely broke even for the booth fee. I met great people and hopefully, future customers.  More excitingly, I was invited to two upcoming local craft fairs.